How this score is worked out
Seven kinds of act move this number, and they do not count equally. A recorded vote counts 3, and so does authoring a bill or signing an executive action; signing on to somebody else’s bill counts 2. A statement or a questionnaire answer counts 2 as well, and an organisational endorsement counts 1. A vote takes its direction from the bill, whose effect is set out in advance; the rest take it from our reading of what was said, and each one below shows that reading and the reason for it. Acts shown with no number were examined and deliberately left out of the arithmetic, with a reason given.
- 2025-08-19 Consumable hemp, second called session SB 6 — voted, counted as -2 at weight 3
- 2025-08-18 Consumable hemp, second called session SB 6 — voted, counted as -2 at weight 3
- 2025-08-15 Consumable hemp, second called session SB 6 — signed on, counted as -2 at weight 3
- 2025-08-01 Consumable hemp, first called session SB 5 — voted, counted as -2 at weight 3
- 2025-07-30 Consumable hemp, first called session SB 5 — signed on, counted as -2 at weight 3
- 2025-07-30 Consumable hemp, first called session SB 5 — voted, counted as -2 at weight 3
- 2025-06-01 Texas Compassionate-Use Program HB 46 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 3
- 2025-05-27 Texas Compassionate-Use Program HB 46 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 3
- 2025-05-25 Consumable hemp and hemp-derived cannabinoids SB 3 — voted, counted as -2 at weight 3
- 2025-03-19 Consumable hemp and hemp-derived cannabinoids SB 3 — voted, counted as -2 at weight 3
- 2021-05-28 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 1535 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 1.8
- 2021-04-30 Penalties for possession HB 441 — voted, counted as -2 at weight 1.8
- 2021-04-29 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 1535 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 1.8
- 2021-04-21 Defence to prosecution for small amounts HB 1694 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 1.8
- 2021-03-16 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 1535 — signed on, counted as +1 at weight 1.2
- 2019-05-24 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 3703 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 0.9
- 2019-05-08 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 3703 — voted, counted as +1 at weight 0.9
- 2019-04-30 Penalties for possession HB 63 — voted, counted as -2 at weight 0.9
- 2019-04-29 Penalties for possession HB 63 — voted, counted as -2 at weight 0.9
- 2019-04-24 Low-THC cannabis for more conditions HB 3703 — signed on, counted as +1 at weight 0.6
Average on the −2 to +2 scale: -0.944. Full method and the bill table.
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Coauthored2019-04-24
Signed on as a coauthor of HB 3703 in the 86th Legislature, which widened the medical conditions for which low-THC cannabis may be prescribed under the Compassionate-Use Program. It was enacted. The Legislature’s author table records the sign-on date as 2019-04-24.
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Vote2019-04-29
Texas House: recorded Nay on Record Vote 780, passage to engrossment of CSHB 63, reducing the criminal and licensing consequences of possessing small amounts of marihuana and drug paraphernalia, which carried 98 Yeas to 43 Nays.
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Vote2019-04-30
Texas House: recorded Nay on Record Vote 801, final House passage of HB 63, reducing the criminal and licensing consequences of possessing small amounts of marihuana and drug paraphernalia, which carried 103 Yeas to 42 Nays.
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Vote2019-05-08
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 1097, third-reading passage of HB 3703, widening the medical conditions for which low-THC cannabis may be prescribed under the Compassionate-Use Program, which carried 133 Yeas to 10 Nays.
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Vote2019-05-24
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 1824, the motion to concur in the Senate’s changes to HB 3703, the Compassionate-Use Program expansion, sending it to the Governor, which carried 136 Yeas to 5 Nays.
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Coauthored2021-03-16
Signed on as a coauthor of HB 1535 (87R), widening the medical conditions qualifying for low-THC cannabis under the Compassionate-Use Program, on 2021-03-16.
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Vote2021-04-21
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 384, House passage of HB 1694, creating a defence to prosecution for small-amount possession when a person seeks emergency help for an overdose, which carried 145 Yeas to 2 Nays.
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Vote2021-04-29
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 535, House passage of HB 1535, widening the medical conditions qualifying for low-THC cannabis under the Compassionate-Use Program, which carried 134 Yeas to 12 Nays.
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Vote2021-04-30
Texas House: recorded Nay on Record Vote 596, third-reading passage of HB 441, reducing the criminal and licensing consequences of marihuana and drug paraphernalia possession, which carried 88 Yeas to 40 Nays.
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Vote2021-05-28
Texas House: recorded Yea on Record Vote 1688, the motion to concur in the Senate’s changes to HB 1535, the Compassionate-Use Program expansion, which the Senate had narrowed, which carried 119 Yeas to 25 Nays.
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Vote2025-03-19
Voted Yea on Senate Bill 3, regulating hemp-derived consumable products, which passed the Texas Senate 26 to 5. He is named in the printed Yeas roll.
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Vote2025-04-22
Texas Senate: recorded Yea, and named in the printed Yeas roll, on passage to engrossment on second reading of CSSB 1870, which would bar a city or county from placing on the ballot any measure — including a charter amendment — directing that state drug or consumable hemp laws not be fully enforced, and from adopting a non-enforcement policy, with civil penalties of $25,000 for a first violation. The Journal records the vote as 23 Yeas, 8 Nays.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but not counted in the score: This site does not score floor amendments, because an amendment can point the opposite way to the bill it changes, and its scoring rules read this record as concerning one.
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Vote2025-04-23
Texas Senate: recorded Yea, and named in the printed Yeas roll, on third-reading passage of CSSB 1870, which would bar a city or county from placing on the ballot any measure — including a charter amendment — directing that state drug or consumable hemp laws not be fully enforced, and from adopting a non-enforcement policy, with civil penalties of $25,000 for a first violation. The Journal records the vote as 23 Yeas, 8 Nays.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but not counted in the score: This site does not score floor amendments, because an amendment can point the opposite way to the bill it changes, and its scoring rules read this record as concerning one.
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Vote2025-05-25
Recorded Yea on the motion to concur in the House amendments to SB 3, the intoxicating-hemp-THC ban, which carried 25 Yeas to 6 Nays. They are named in the printed Yeas roll in the Senate Journal for that day.
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Vote2025-05-27
The Texas Senate passed CSHB 46, the Compassionate Use Program expansion, on third reading by 31 Yeas to 0 Nays. The journal records the totals only and prints no individual names for this vote, so it is recorded here as a unanimous act of the chamber rather than as a named vote.
⚠️The deduction rests on two facts: the Senate has 31 seats, so a tally of 31 Yeas means every seat was filled and every member voted Yea; and this senator is named in other recorded votes printed in the same day’s journal, which establishes they were serving and present that day.
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Vote2025-06-01
The Texas Senate adopted the conference committee report on HB 46, the Compassionate Use Program expansion, by 31 Yeas to 0 Nays. The journal records the totals only and prints no individual names for this vote, so it is recorded here as a unanimous act of the chamber rather than as a named vote.
⚠️The deduction rests on two facts: the Senate has 31 seats, so a tally of 31 Yeas means every seat was filled and every member voted Yea; and this senator is named in other recorded votes printed in the same day’s journal, which establishes they were serving and present that day.
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Authored2025-07-30
Signed on as a coauthor of Senate Bill 5 in the first called session, the bill to prohibit consumable hemp products containing any amount of any form of THC. The Legislature records him as one of twelve coauthors, signed on 07/30/2025.
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Vote2025-07-30
Recorded Yea on passage of SB 5 to engrossment on its second reading in the Texas Senate on 2025-07-30, in the first called session of the 89th Legislature. SB 5 is captioned "Relating to the regulation of certain products derived from hemp, including consumable hemp products and the hemp-derived cannabinoids contained in those products; requiring occupational licenses and registrations; imposing fees; creating criminal offenses; authorizing an administrative penalty."
The Senate Journal prints the whole roll: "SB 5 as amended was passed to engrossment by the following vote: Yeas 21, Nays 8. Yeas: Bettencourt, Birdwell, Blanco, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hall, A. Hinojosa, J. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Nichols, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks, West. Nays: Alvarado, Cook, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, Zaffirini. Absent-excused: Hagenbuch."
The printed surname Middleton is resolved against the Texas Senate roster to this member, who holds Senate District 11.
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Vote2025-08-01
Voted Yea on third reading of Senate Bill 5, the special-session successor covering the same subject, which passed the Senate 21 to 8. He is named in the printed Yeas roll.
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Authored2025-08-15
Filed SB 6 (892) as one of its primary authors on 2025-08-15, regulating consumable hemp products and the hemp-derived cannabinoids in them.
capitol.texas.gov, capitol.texas.gov, journals.senate.texas.gov
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Vote2025-08-18
Texas Senate: recorded Yea, and named in the printed Yeas roll, on passage to engrossment of SB 6 on second reading, the second called session’s bill regulating consumable hemp products and the hemp-derived cannabinoids in them. The Journal records the vote as 22 Yeas, 8 Nays.
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Vote2025-08-18
Texas Senate: recorded Yea, and named in the printed Yeas roll, on the motion to suspend the regular order of business to take up SB 6 of the second called session on its second reading, the bill regulating consumable hemp products and the hemp-derived cannabinoids in them. The motion prevailed 22 Yeas to 8 Nays. This is the procedural vote that brought the bill up; the Journal records the passage to engrossment that followed as "Same as previous roll call", and that vote is listed separately.
WeedVoter’s note — shown here, but not counted in the score: This site does not score procedural motions, such as suspending a rule, postponing, recommitting or reconsidering, because such a motion decides how a bill is handled rather than what it does, and its scoring rules read this record as one.
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Vote2025-08-19
Recorded Yea on third-reading passage of SB 6 of the second called session, the successor hemp-cannabinoid restriction bill, which carried 22 Yeas to 8 Nays. They are named in the printed Yeas roll in the Senate Journal for that day.